BULLETIN 

OF  THE 

FIRST  DISTRICT  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

KIRKSVILLE,  MISSOURI 


Volume  XVI  Number  7 

JULY,  1916 


Publisht  Monthly 


The  Place  of  the  Normal  School  in  a 
Democracy 

Address  before  National  Education  Association,  New  York  City, 

July  4,  1916 


Enterd  as  second  class  mail  matter  April  29,  1915,  at  the  post  office  at  Kirksville,  Missouri, 
under  the  Act  of  Congress  of  August  24,  1912. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/placeofnormalschOOkirk 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE  NORMAL  SCHOOL  IN 
A DEMOCRACY 

An  address  by  President  John  R.  Kirk  of  the  Normal  School, 
Kirksville,  Missouri,  delivered  before  the  General  Session  of  the  Na- 
tional Education  Association  in  Madison  Square  Garden,  New  York 
City,  July  4,  1916. 

The  question  of  the  place  and  function  of  the  Normal 
School  in  a democracy  raises  other  questions  which  are  pre- 
liminary and  fundamental.  These  questions  are: 

1.  Whether  the  people  in  a democracy  should  express 
the  will  of  the  democracy? 

2.  Whether  the  judgment  and  the  will  of  the  democ- 
racy should  determine  the  character  and  the  extent  of  its 
institutions? 

3.  Whether  there  should  always  be  in  the  democracy  a 
dominant  group  constituting  a specialized  higher  intelli- 
gence to  do  the  thinking  of  the  democracy  for  the  democracy, 
and  determine  for  the  democracy  what  the  character  and 
the  limitations  of  the  institutions  and  the  utilities  of  the 
democracy  should  be? 

The  answer  to  these  questions  is  that  a democracy  is 
not  obliged  to  do  its  business  by  proxy.  The  people  of  the 
democracy  have  a right  to  think  and  act  for  themselvs. 
Otherwise  there  is  no  democracy. 

There  is  great  temptation  to  base  official  action  upon 
the  idea  that  educational  advancement  must  have  origin  and 
first  take  form  in  the  minds  of  the  highly  cultured  few;  but 
a great  deal  of  the  most  serviceable  part  of  American  edu- 
cation at  the  present  time  did  not  have  birth  in  the  brain  of 
higher  education  circles.  As  a matter  of  fact  a large  part 
of  what  is  best  in  our  scheme  of  education  was  forced  into  the 
curriculum,  and  many  of  the  former,  traditional,  non-func- 
tioning elements  of  the  now  somewhat  expurgated  curriculum, 
were  forced  out  of  the  curriculum  by  the  pressure  of  the 
will  of  the  awakening  democracy. 

It  is  altogether  fortunate  that  the  rank  and  file  of 


the  democracy  at  times  over-rule  the  tradition-bound 
judgment  lockt  up  in  higher  education  circles;  and  it  is  quite 
certain  that  there  would  now  be  no  question  as  to  the  place 
of  the  Normal  School  in  the  democracy  if  the  will  of  the 
democracy  could  be  allowd  to  get  at  the  issue. 

The  Normal  School  is  of  the  democracy  and  for  the 
democracy.  From  the  outset  in  the  days  of  Horace  Mann 
and  David  P.  Page,  the  Normal  School  has  been,  by  its 
agitations,  a source  of  contention  and  rivalry;  or  by  ob- 
sequious conservatism  and  flabby  formalism  a negligible 
quantity  in  educational  advancement.  Its  chief  obstacle 
has  always  been  traceable  to  higher  education  circles;  and 
whenever  the  democracy  has  sought  to  establish  Normal 
Schools,  just  then  the  existing  higher  education  institutions 
have  obstructed  in  toto  the  will  of  the  democracy;  or  they 
have  sought  to  dictate  specifically  what  the  curricula  of 
such  schools  should  not  contain.  They  have  not  as  a rule 
cared  very  much  what  superficialities  or  dogmas  might  get 
into  the  Normal  School  curricula,  provided  there  could  be 
assurance  that  the  alleged  sphere  of  existing  institutions 
were  not  trespast  upon. 

Until  some  twenty  odd  years  ago  college  and  university 
men,  as  a rule,  regarded  the  professional  preparation  of 
teachers  unnecessary.  Hence  they  naturally  enuf  opposed 
the  Normal  Schools.  But  they  now  seem  to  belie v in  the 
preparation  of  teachers.  In  any  event  about  eighty  per 
cent  of  all  the  colleges  are  obliged  to  have  departments  of 
education  in  order  to  avoid  bankruptcy,  while  the  best  stu- 
dent-getting agency  of  the  University  is  its  School  of  Educa- 
tion. 

But  the  adjustment  of  the  Normal  School  to  its  place 
and  function  begins  gradually  to  be  grappled  with  by  the 
people  of  the  democracy.  Each  organized  movement  of 
external  agencies  for  the  limitation  of  the  Normal  School 
brings  the  issue  to  a more  acute  stage  and  final  settlement 
nearer. 

The  long  dominant  minority  in  each  of  the  great  polit- 


ical  parties  of  America  finds  increasing  difficulty  in  obstruct- 
ing or  manipulating  the  will  of  the  democracy.  The  polit- 
ical dictator  no  longer  enjoys  a bed  of  roses.  And  so  in 
education,  any  group  of  interested  existing  institutions  com- 
bining to  limit  the  field  of  an  institution  establisht  by  the 
democracy  and  for  the  service  of  the  democracy,  must  more 
and  more  reckon  with  the  sensitized  will  of  the  democracy. 

The  Initiative  and  Referendum,  the  Political  Equality 
of  Men  and  Women,  the  Recall  of  Judges,  and  their 
decisions — these  and  kindred  ideals  are  working  in  the 
minds  of  the  democracy.  Universal  education  awakens  the 
democracy.  The  elements  of  the  democracy  begin  to  think 
more  freely  for  themselvs.  In  education,  the  Normal 
School,  long  limited  and  handicapt  by  external  interference, 
begins  more  effectivly  to  function,  and,  thereby,  it  justifies 
the  hope  and  the  confidence  of  the  democracy. 

Let  one  illustration  suffice: 

A great  educational  foundation  with  benevolent,  though 
misguided  purpose  enters  a state  of  the  Middle  West.  After 
investigation,  it  instigates  re-organization  of  higher  public 
education,  with  view  to  establishment  of  one  single  cen- 
tralized dominating  institution  in  the  state  with  power 
of  conferring  all  the  higher  degrees,  and,  thereby,  subordi- 
nating and  controlling  all  other  public  education  agencies. 
There  are  some  months  of  agitation.  Finally,  representa- 
tives of  the  democracy,  by  overwhelming  preponderance 
make  reply,  and  say,  in  substance,  “You  must  take  your 
hands  off  of  this  institution  of  the  democracy,  which  is  to 
prepare  teachers  for  all  the  public  schools  of  the  democracy. 
We  ourselvs,  will  determine  the  place  and  function  of  our 
Normal  School.” 

The  investigators,  in  turn,  declare  that  it  is  unwise  and 
uneconomical  and  wasteful  for  the  democracy  thru  its 
own  representativs  thus  to  transact  its  own  business,  but 
the  representativs  of  the  democracy  promptly  proceed  to 
enforce  the  will  of  the  democracy,  and  vote  larger  sums  of 
money  for  an  expanding  teacher  producing  agency  with 
great  buildings,  laboratories,  libraries,  gymnasiums,  hospitals, 
athletic  fields  and  faculty,  such  as  the  earlier  college  man 


had  not  dreamd  of ; and  the  representativs  of  the  democracy- 
make  these  incontrovertible  declarations: 

“All  public  school  education  is  the  business  of  the 
democracy.  You  of  the  centralized  higher  education  circles 
have  had  your  eyes  too  much  on  the  dead  past.  You  have 
not  wanted  our  children  to  have  the  instruction  that  would 
best  function  in  their  lives.  You  have  obstructed  the  high- 
est good  of  the  greatest  number.  We  are  obliged  to  declare 
our  freedom,  and  to  think  and  act  for  ourselvs.  We  have 
decided  to  have  schools  of  our  own,  in  which  to  educate 
teachers  to  direct  all  the  activities  of  all  the  children  in  all 
the  schools  of  the  democracy”. 

The  ideal  of  the  democracy  is  further  exprest  by  a 
young  Governor  of  a Middle  Western  state.  He  had  grad- 
uated from  the  University.  He  loved  his  alma  mater,  but 
he  believed  in  the  democracy.  The  school  master  visited 
the  Governor,  and  said,  “Governor,  the  people  want  teach- 
ers in  the  high  schools  and  in  the  elementary  schools  to  teach 
Manual  Arts,  Fine  Arts,  Domestic  Arts,  Cookery,  Civics, 
Commercial  Studies,  Physical  Education,  Music  and  other 
motivating  subjects,  and  Governor,  ought  the  Normal 
School  to  do  what  the  people  want  done?”  And  the  Gov- 
ernor answered,  “The  Normal  School  is  to  produce  teachers 
for  the  public  schools  of  the  democracy.  The  law  says  so. 
The  people  say  so.  The  Normal  School  must  find  out  what 
it  takes  to  produce  capable  teachers.  You  cannot  wait 
for  the  college  to  do  any  part  of  it.  The  college  has  no  ex- 
clusiv  sphere.  No  part  of  subject  matter  in  education  can 
be  monopolized  for  the  sake  of  anybody.  Therefore,  in 
the  Normal  School  you  may  teach  Horace  or  Calculus  or 
whatever  else  is  needed  to  make  good  teachers.  ” 

The  place  of  the  Normal  School,  therefore,  in  a democ- 
racy is  defined  and  determind  by  what  it  is  called  upon  to 
do.  It  is  an  exclusivly  vocational  institution.  The  full 
grown  Normal  School  with  means  and  opportunity  and 
freedom  prepares  mature  men  and  women  to  teach  and  su- 
pervise teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  every  kind  and 
grade.  It  covers  four  or  more  years  in  academic  and  peda- 
gogic studies  of  college  grade.  Its  requirements  for  en- 


trance  and  for  the  Bachelor’s  Degree,  are  exactly  equal  to 
those  of  the  best  colleges.  Its  graduates  do  not  need  to  be 
recast,  or  regraduated  or  relabeld  by  any  other  institution 
in  order  to  secure  permanent  recognition  in  the  teaching 
profession.  They  take  rank,  as  they  should,  with  the  grad- 
uates of  the  Medical  College  and  the  Law  School.  A few 
of  them  already  have  good  standing  as  graduate  students. 
In  the  near  future,  large  numbers  of  them  will,  after  varying 
periods  in  teaching  enter  graduate  courses  at  their  own  will 
and  pleasure.  Not  all  of  the  states  will  in  the  near  future 
have  the  full-fledged  Normal  School.  This  will  in  part  be 
due  to  interfering  outside  interests,  in  part  to  the  unfruit- 
ful conservatism  and  caution  of  the  Normal  School  adminis- 
trators themselvs. 

But  the  short  course  Normal  School,  prematurely  cut 
off  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  above  high  school,  cannot 
be  regarded  a permanency.  Its  inadequacy  too  often  has 
to  be  explaind  by  those  who  love  it  best.  In  many  states 
it  has  been,  and  in  some  states  it  is  now,  reasonably  service- 
able. It  is  representativ  of  a transition  stage.  It  will  be 
outgrown  because  good  teachers  cannot  be  made  out  of 
typical  high  school  graduates  in  two  years’  time. 

The  short  course  Normal  School  will  have  to  be  aban- 
doned because  the  classifying  of  young  intending  teachers 
at  the  time  they  leave  high  school  places  public  school  or- 
ganization on  an  unsound  basis.  It  arbitrarily  puts  one 
group  of  intending  teachers,  without  regard  to  natural  en- 
dowments, into  the  shorter  course  Normal  School,  there  to 
be  mechanically  trained  and  drilled  into  professional  ele- 
mentary teachers  while  another  group  with  equal  disregard 
for  natural  ability  is  sent  into  the  longer  course  university 
or  college  to  be  made  over  into  high  school  teachers. 

This  traditional,  arbitrary  and  indefensible  classification 
forces  upon  us  the  policy  of  keeping  all  the  children  from 
first  grade  to  eighth  grade  inclusiv  under  teachers  having 
the  shorter  preparation  and  drawing  the  lower  salaries, 
while  furnishing  all  the  children  above  the  eighth  grade 


0112  105734245 


teacher,  of  longer  preparation  and  higher  salaries.  But 
it  ip  pen  clear,  as  any  sensible  man  or  woman  ought 

to  , it  +akes  as  much  scholarship  and  skill  and 

ability  to  teach  successfully  in  the  sixth  grade  as  it  does  to 
teach  in  any  class  in  the  high  school;  and  a square  deal 
demands  as  much  salary  for  the  one  as  the  other. 

Whenever  we  analyze  these  conditions,  we  see  how  un- 
natural and  wasteful  is  the  arbitrary  classification  of  in- 
tending teachers  which  we  now  so  widely  practice.  But  the 
full-fledged  Normal  School  of  the  twentieth-century  does 
not  artificially  and  abnormally  force  one  group  of  students 
into  the  mold  of  elementary  teachers,  and  another  group 
into  the  mold  of  high  school  teachers.  It  differentiates  the 
students  gradually  by  natural  processes,  and  not  by  prema- 
ture conventional  classifications. 

The  typical  student  does  not,  and  can  not,  begin  to  know 
himself  or  herself,  until  some  time  in  the  third  or  fourth  year 
above  high  school,  and  is  not  known  by  teachers  earlier  than 
that  time.  Therefore,  it  is  a wasteful  and  indefensible 
classification  which  seeks  to  determine  the  special  pro- 
fessional function  of  the  intending  teacher,  prior  to  the 
Junior  or  Senior  college  year. 

But  the  twentieth-century  Normal  School  is  in  process 
of  constant  re-adjustment.  It  will  always  have  many  forms 
of  under-graduate  college  courses.  It  will  always  include  a 
large  part  of  the  now  slowly  dissolving  college  of  liberal 
arts.  It  will  utilize  all  available  knowledge  needed  by  pub- 
lic school  teachers  in  elementary  schools  and  high  schools 
of  city,  town,  village  and  rural  community. 

The  place  of  the  twentieth-century  Normal  School  is 
within  and  of  and  close  to  the  community  life  of  the 
democracy.  It  will  always  conduct  extensiv  and  intensiv 
studies,  rational  experimentation  and  never-ending,  but 
always-varying  demonstrations  of  all  serviceable  pedagogical 
procedure.  Its  place  will  always  be  among  the  leaders  of 
constructiv  and  productiv  educational  thought  in  the  state 
and  the  nation. 


